Directed by Prince
Starring Prince, Jerome Benton, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Steven Berkoff
Music and Lyrics by Prince and the Revolution
Prince was on top of the world after Purple Rain became one of the biggest blockbusters of 1984 and the soundtrack went platinum. Warners pretty much let him do whatever he wanted after that, and apparently, what he wanted was a 1930's-style romantic comedy set in the French Riviera. He tried to do pretty much the same thing he had for Purple Rain, hiring music video director Mary Lambert and his current girlfriend Susannah Melvoin as his leading lady...but this time, it didn't fly. No matter how much he liked her, Melvoin couldn't act and was replaced by Kristin Scott Thomas, and he and Lambert had creative disagreements that led to him taking over the shooting. After all that, how did this black-and-white romance between a gigolo and the rebellious daughter of a billionaire come out? Let's begin in a night club as Christopher Tracy (Prince) performs and find out...
The Story: Tracy and his best friend Tricky (Benton) work at a local nightclub by day and look for rich ladies to marry and gain their inheritance at night. They think they've found the perfect mark in Mary Sharon (Thomas), who is about to inherit a 50 million dollar trust fund from her wealthy father, shipping executive Issac Sharon (Berkoff). They crash her birthday party, and while they get thrown out, Christopher does catch Mary's eye.
Mary is not amused initially. She even sets him up so he catches his current paramour, Mrs. Wellington (Francesca Annis), having an affair with her father. After that, Tracy and Mary do get closer despite her father's loud objections. He wants her to marry one of his employees. After he drags her out of a restaurant where she's meeting with Tracy and Tricky, she realizes how much control he has over her life and runs away with Christopher. Her father's men and the police follow with guns...and while their relationship ends in tragedy, Mary never forgets the charming young man who won her heart.
The Song and Dance: Bizarre but stylish attempt to resurrect the romantic melodramas of the 1930's. Thomas, who would go on to make more romantic dramas like The English Patient in the 90's and early 2000's, does by far the best of the cast as the spoiled heiress who doesn't know what she wants in life, until Christopher crosses her path. There's some lavish costumes too, with everyone dolled up to the nines in sequins, ruffles, and feathers, and decent black and white cinematography. This was filmed at the real French Riviera, and it certainly makes the film feel a lot more authentic.
Favorite Number: We open with Christopher performing "Christopher Tracy's Parade" on the piano in the nightclub. Tracy and Tricky say "I Wonder U" as they crash the party...and get kicked back out. Christopher points out how "Girls & Boys" behave when he and Tricky take Mary to an upscale restaurant, only for Daddy to drag her out.
The big one here is the massive #1 hit "Kiss." And what a kiss it is - the sequence is basically Tracy and Mary making love in the back of his vintage 1964 car, and getting quite into it. The movie ends with the music video-style "Mountains," which Prince and the Revolution sing under the first half of the credits.
Trivia: First film for Kristin Scott Thomas.
Warners was hesitant about filming this in black and white. They originally shot it in color, then converted the film to black-and-white. Only the color version of the credits video for "Mountains" has been found.
What I Don't Like: First of all, stylish though this is, it's still a vanity project for a major rock star of the 80's. Prince never did become much of an actor. It's especially pronounced against the fiery young Thomas. He's not much of a director, either. The movie occasionally looks amateurish and stiff. There's really no reason for it to be in black-and-white. In fact, it might have done better in color. It would have resembled a Technicolor melodrama of the 1950's. If he had to keep the black and white, he probably should have set this in the 1930's, when dramas of this type were far more common. He has no chemistry with Thomas, either, making their supposed passion in the second half look more silly than anything. He works better with Benton than with her.
The Big Finale: This is another one of those cult movies people think is either grossly underrated or the worst movie ever made. While it's far from terrible, it's not that great, either. Only come here if you're a huge fan of Prince or his music. Everyone else is better off looking for the soundtrack album Parade.
Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.
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